UW-L's affirmative action hiring practices aim to recruit a diverse pool of applicants for each job opening and to remove all forms of bias (intentional and unintentional) from the evaluation of those applicants, so that no individual receives any advantage or disadvantage based on race, ethnicity, gender, or any other protected status.

The information, resources, and links below are intended to aid in these efforts. Please contact us for more information or to arrange an Affirmative Action training for your search & screen committee.

What you may and may not ask during the screening & hiring process. These guidelines apply to all search & screen committee members and any other individuals interacting with job applicants in formal or informal settings during the recruitment process.

Inclusivity Statements for Job Postings

The following sample statements expressing UW-L's mission and values in the area of diversity and inclusion are provided for use in all UW-L job postings and advertising text. The statements may be customized for the unique needs of individual departments and units.

The [Insert Department name] supports and values diversity in its faculty, staff, and students. We seek a colleague who shares the department's commitment to diversity and who will be a dedicated teacher, active scholar, and effective mentor for students with diverse backgrounds, preparation, and career goals.

The successful applicant will demonstrate a commitment to multiculturalism, diversity and inclusive excellence and an ability to work with students and colleagues from diverse backgrounds,

We at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse believe students, faculty, and staff all are enriched by our exposure to differing ideas, opinions and cultures. We strive to be a leader in Wisconsin's movement toward increased diversity and inclusiveness. We believe that employees from diverse backgrounds are critical to achieving excellence as a nationally recognized institution of higher education. We seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. We strongly encourage applications from persons with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

The [Insert Department name] has a strong commitment to multicultural and international education and to expanding our curriculum in these and other areas.

The department and the university are committed to being an inclusive and supportive learning and teaching communities. We encourage applicants who enhance our commitment to these goals.

The [Insert Department name] values diversity and faculty who bring diverse experiences to their teaching.

Personal Gender Pronouns (PGPs)

UW-L aims to be an inclusive environment for people of all genders, gender identities and gender expressions. In furtherance of this goal, all members of the campus community should respect every person's right to be addressed using the gender (or gender-neutral) pronouns of their choice, which might be he/him, she/her, they/them, or a number of other variations.

This poses certain challenges in the context of recruitment and interviewing job applicants, since questions pertaining to protected status are generally not permitted. The following suggestions are offered to help navigate these challenges:

Members of search & screen committees (and other individuals interacting with job applicants) should not directly ask job applicants what their personal gender pronouns are.

However, opportunities for voluntary self-disclosure may be offered. For example, an application form may include an optional space for the applicant to indicate their PGPs. In addition, a search committee preparing for interviews may send applicants an email with the statement, "If there is any information you'd like to share with us in order to make your interview and campus visit more comfortable and inclusive (for example, disability accommodations, personal gender pronouns, etc.), please let us know." Putting this in an email, as opposed to a face-to-face conversation, will also provide an opportunity for those individuals unfamiliar with PGPs to educate themselves in advance.

Members of search committees, and other individuals meeting with applicants, may voluntarily disclose their own PGPs.

Finally, committees must take care to ensure that hiring decisions are only based on candidates' job qualifications and not on irrelevant personal information learned during the application process; that could include gender, gender identity, or gender expression, as well as race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability. etc.